Posted on 07/20/2018 2:03:38 AM PDT by be-baw
Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats told MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell Thursday that he felt he "needed to correct the record" following President Trump's comments during the Helsinki summit with Russia President Vladimir Putin, adding that he wished Trump had "made a different statement" as it is "undeniable that the Russians are taking a lead on this."
Our thought bubble: It was a STUNNING interview ... and is already catching heat and attention among Trump loyalists. I've already had two phone calls from sources close to Trump expressing their astonishment. The fact that Trump’s own intelligence director is saying these things is extraordinary. A moment of true and startling independence. Reveals how concerned Coats is about what happened with Putin.
What we're hearing: Sources close to Trump tell Axios that they're already speculating about whether Trump ends up firing Coats. Per a source with knowledge, Trump has never had much affection for Coats.
Why it matters: All week the White House has been trying to clarify Trump's performance at the summit, during which he failed to publicly confront Putin for claiming Russia didn't interfere in the U.S. presidential election, even though the U.S. intelligence community concluded that it had.
The backdrop: Earlier this week, Coats issued a statement reinforcing the intelligence community's assessment that Russia meddled in the 2016 election.
Coats said he doesn't know what happened during Trump's closed-door meeting with Putin, and asked if it was recorded by the Russians, he said: “That risk is always there.” How Trump prefers his intelligence briefings: "He likes it orally. He likes examples .... We use models. We use charts. We use a number of things." Coats said the Oval Office meeting between Trump and former Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak and foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, during which Trump shared classified information, was “probably not the best thing to do." His take on Putin: "Look, I think anybody who thinks that Vladimir Putin doesn't have a stamp on everything that happens in Russia is misinformed. It is very clear that virtually nothing happens there of any kind of consequence that Vladimir Putin doesn't know about or hasn't ordered. I think we're pretty sure about that."
I don't think Coates is very smart and he certainly is not clever....PLUS he has a big mouth and not very LOYAL!
If he has something to say to his President, he should do it in private . . . unless he has evil motives . . .
what evidence?
did they look at the DNC server?
did they look at Hillary’s private server?
did they seize communications from Julian Assange/wikileaks?
bots on fakebook aren’t stolen emails and those bots promoted minority race group agitation, not just “right wingers”, “left wingers” too.
I don’t recall all of this international outrage in 1996 when Clinton and Gore were personally attending fundraisers with Chi-Coms for campaign cash in exchange for missile and satellite technology.
F you Damn Coates. Another nevery Trumper RINO prima donna
This really is one unusual administration in this regard, beginning when Trump openly criticised his own Secretary of State, Sessions.
Axios
Jim Vandehei (of Politico) FOUNDER & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Mike Allen FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE EDITOR
NBC boosts Axios out of the gate
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3622571/posts
Axios celebrates first anniversary with a party featuring some possible 2020 candidates
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/reliable-source/wp/2018/01/19/axios-celebrates-one-year-anniversary-with-a-party-featuring-some-possible-2020-candidates/?noredirect=on
Axios
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axios_(website)
“[Statement] Reveals how concerned Coats is about what happened with Putin.”
I just saw parts of that interview and was astonished. Astonished because Coats said it, who he said it to, and that he came across like a doddering old codger.
Completely contradicted Wray on which country was the most sinister cyber threat.
He rolled his eyes when Trump’s tweet was mentioned, and then said, “Well that’s special” when he heard Putin had been invited to the White House.
It was outrageous. Time for that idiot to take a walk to his retirement home.
From now on, everything he says will be suspect.
Mitchell interviewed Coats at the Aspen Security Forum. major Swamp event:
Twitter: Andrea Mitchell
https://twitter.com/mitchellreports?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
Aspen Security Forum July 18-21, 2018
https://aspensecurityforum.org/
He’s likely been a sleeper cell all along.
Among other things, he was among Trump’s initial appointees, which didn’t include any MAGA/Trump supporters to speak of. Trump probably didn’t know him, Pence was in charge of the transition, and Trump was going along with the GOPe recommendations.
Four terms in the House and four terms in the Senate and a lobbyist and ambassador in between. He is an ultimate swamp creature that they’ve probably got some good dirt on. He’s from Indiana as well, so he and Pence are also likely connected.
Dan Coates is a shill for the deep state a$$ hats who think they can control the presidency. Coates is about to find out what the term “reverse double agent” really means.His amperage is about to be reversed. I hope he can take it as well as a toaster!
Not worried. Coats and Trump are fine.
Fear not folks. These two are good. Media being played. Again.
Coates has always been a GOPe, deep state stooge (IMHO). Unless Trump has leverage against Coates, he should never be trusted. My personal inclination is to discount anything he says.
If anyone ever wondered, we now know Trump does not demand a loyalty oath
Sure sounds like he’s part of the cabal to come out saying crap like he did to Andrea Mitchell. He did say POTUS had a right to meet privately with Putin. Maybe they put him in the position so they could monitor his communications with the deep state cabal.
I don’t think there is any love lost between Putin and the ‘New World Order’ or ‘One World Government’ whatever one chooses to call it. I think Putin gave POTUS a MOTHER LODE of information on these people. That’s the only thing that explains their hysteria which is way over the top even for them.
If Coates cannot support the President’s position then he should resign or be fired. It’s Trump’s administration. It’s Coates’s job to present information to the President so that Trump can form his own opinions. And if the President’s conclusion is that Russia didn’t meddle in the election then Coates should back him up and not contradict him.
“A moment of true and startling independence...”
A moment of shameful insubordination you mean. Coats has forgotten who works for whom.
Why do we even need a redundant “Director of National Intelligence” anyway?
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